The present invention relates to a golf ball which exhibits a fluorescent color that gives the ball excellent visibility in bad weather and at dawn and dusk, and makes it highly fashionable.
Golf is sometimes played even when it is raining or snowing. In bad weather, it is not always easy to see the ball. Generally, when golf is played on a day of fine weather, because the golf ball has a surface that is white and very bright, the player can easily see the ball even if it goes into the rough or an area of high vegetation. However, under poor light conditions, such as in bad weather and in the morning and evening, the ball becomes hard to see, making the game less enjoyable to play. A desire thus exists for golf balls which have a good visibility even in low-light weather.
Recently, as the range of individuals playing golf has grown, various highly fashionable golf balls targeted at beginners and women are being devised. For example, JP-A 10-155937 teaches a colored ball which is visually comfortable and readily acceptable to golfers used to hitting white balls. JP-A 2002-102389 discloses a golf ball formulated with a liquid-crystal polymer, which ball is radiant and changes color with the viewing angle.
However, merely providing the surface of the golf ball with greater fashionability while sacrificing fundamental characteristics of the ball, such as its flight, feel on impact and durability, only lowers the intrinsic value of the ball. When phosphorescent pigments are used to make the surface of the ball luminance, as described in Published U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0266554, the speed of the luminescent response leaves something to be desired. And when photochromic pigments that exhibit chromogenic properties under ultraviolet irradiation are used, as described in published U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0266553, the color change weakens over time.